JPH03229762A - Snow quality modifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a snow quality modifier featured in that it can freely control the quality of snow when mixed with it by using highly water-absorptive particles which continue to be particulate and nonsticky even after the absorption of water and have water absorptivity and particle diameters before and after the absorption of water each in a specified range. CONSTITUTION:A snow quality modifier is obtained by using highly water- absorptive particles featured in that they can continue to be particulate and nonsticky even after the absorption of water, that the water absorptivity for ion-exchanged water is about 30-500 times, and that the particle diameter before the absorption of water is about 20-500mu while the particle diameter after the absorption of water is about 0.05-2mm. This modifier can give a snow composition which has an arbitrary density or strength suitable for the levels or likings of skiers without the necessity for pressing, changes less in quality with the lapse of time and can easily keep the conditions of a slope, is inexpensive and can be easily handled. It has photodegradability and/or biodegradability, so that it does not cause any pollution problem after it is used and can be beautifully colored.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a snow quality improver comprising highly water-absorbent granules.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a snow quality improving agent that can be mixed with natural snow, artificial snow, or ice to freely control the snow quality to make it suitable for skiing. Furthermore, the present invention also relates to snow quality improving agents that are photodegradable and/or biodegradable, or that are colored.

[Prior art] (Natural snow) In recent years, snowfall has been decreasing year by year, which is causing problems for ovens at ski resorts. Moreover, the natural snow that accumulates on the ground is too soft and difficult to ski on, making it unsuitable for ski slopes as it is, so the snow has to be compressed many times with snow compactors, and is greatly affected by the outside temperature. The disadvantage is that the snow quality changes over time and progresses to "rough snow." Rough snow is extremely difficult for skiers to slip on, and therefore requires frequent work to break up the snow, ie, blooming.

(Artificial Snow) Artificial snow machines have recently been increasingly introduced at ski resorts in the country in order to hasten or extend the skiing season. This is a method of making fine ice using the adiabatic expansion of compressed air with high-pressure water in the atmosphere below 0℃, or using cold air, but this artificial snow contains more than 10% water and has a high density. 0.3=0.4g/c+s3, strength is IK
g/cm" or less, it is not suitable for skiing unless it is compacted, and the snow quality changes rapidly, and after a few days, it progresses to coarse snow with an outer diameter of about 1 to 5 cm. Rough snow is As mentioned above, the snow quality is difficult for skiing, and the same countermeasures as mentioned above will be taken.

In addition, patent application publication Show E! In the case of artificial snow made by mixing water-swellable material (water-absorbing resin) with water and freezing it after aeration, as disclosed in No. 3-500526, the density and strength of the snow depend on the aeration conditions. The density is 0-4 to 0.9 g/cm3, and the strength is 10 to several 100 kg/C2. Such snow is more like rough, fine ice or ice burn than snow. Therefore, when making artificial snow using only water-swellable materials, in order to make it suitable for skiing, it is necessary to add a surfactant or adjust the particle size and water absorption ratio so that the frozen particles do not bond together more than necessary. or blooming frequently. Such snow can be said to be extremely difficult to use at ski resorts.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] As a result of intensive research to solve these problems, the present invention has been developed to solve these problems by simply blending it into various types of snow such as natural snow and artificial snow.
Without compacting snow, you can: ■ Obtain snow of any density or strength depending on the level and preference of the skier; ■ Because the snow quality changes less over time, it is easier to maintain the condition of the slope; ■ Moreover, it is inexpensive and easy to handle. The present invention provides a snow quality improving agent.

Furthermore, since it has photodegradability and/or biodegradability, it provides a snow quality improving agent that causes no pollution problems after use, and a beautiful colored snow quality improving agent.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The invention according to claim (1) of the present invention is a snow quality improving agent comprising highly water-absorbing granules having the following characteristics.

■Even when water is absorbed, the grains maintain their shape and are non-adhesive to each other; ■Water absorption capacity is about 30 to 500 times that of ion-exchanged water; ■Particle size before water absorption is approximately 20 to 500 μm; ■Particle size after water absorption is approximately 0. .05-2 mm.

The invention of claim (2) of the present invention provides that
The snow quality improver according to claim (1), which absorbs twice as much water.

The invention according to claim (3) of the present invention is the snow quality improving agent according to claim (1), which is not made to absorb water in advance.

The invention according to claim (4) of the present invention is the snow quality improving agent according to claim (1), which has photodegradability and/or biodegradability.

The invention according to claim (5) of the present invention is the snow quality improving agent according to claim (1), which is colored.

The invention of claim (6) of the present invention is that the super absorbent granules are a saponified product of polyacrylate, a copolymer of vinyl alcohol and acrylate, or a copolymer of isobutylene and maleic anhydride. The snow quality improver described in (1) above.

The invention according to claim (7) of the present invention is the snow quality improving agent according to claim (1), wherein the super absorbent granules are ball canes.

The snow quality improving agent used in the present invention includes starch-based,
Examples include cellulose-based or synthetic resin-based polymers such as acrylamide, acrylic acid, acrylates, methacrylates, styrene, vinyl ether, etc., and copolymers such as terpolymers. In particular, they exhibit spherical shapes and can be reverse phased in organic solvents. Polyacrylate obtained by suspension polymerization,
Saponified copolymers of vinyl alcohol and acrylic acid salts or copolymers of isobutylene and maleic anhydride are preferred.

The reasons why spherical snow quality improvers are preferable are that they are easy to mix uniformly with snow, that after freezing, the "ice bridges" between particles are finely and evenly dispersed and do not become too hard, and that they are exposed to the surface layer of snow. Because it is granular, it does not impair slippage.

Furthermore, the snow quality improver of the present invention has a water quality improvement of 0.05 after it absorbs water.
A particle size of 2 mm to 2 mm is preferable for uniform mixing with snow, and as a result, a particle size of 20 to 500 μm before water absorption is suitable. If it is less than 20 μm, it is too fine and it is difficult to mix uniformly with the snow, and if it is more than 500 μm, it becomes like sticks scattered in the snow, which is not preferable.

The snow quality improving agent used in the present invention has a water absorption capacity of 30 to 500 times, preferably 50 to 200 times, relative to ion-exchanged water. If the water absorption capacity is less than 30 times, a large amount is required for snow, which is not economical. If it is larger than 500 times, the gel strength will be weak when water is absorbed, and it will be easily broken when pressure is applied, which is not preferable.

Further, it is preferable that when water is absorbed, the material does not become pasty but maintains a spherical shape, exhibits fluidity, and is non-adhesive to each other. When it becomes paste-like, it freezes into one large block of ice and cannot be used as a ski slope unless it is crushed into small pieces. To avoid this, there is a method of atomizing the snow before freezing, but it is highly viscous and requires a large amount of power, so it is not an economical method for improving snow quality.

In order to maintain fluidity in a spherical shape even after absorbing water and to make them non-adhesive to each other, the degree of crosslinking can be increased using polyvalent epoxy or polyvalent amine, but excessive crosslinking will reduce the water absorption ability. , adjust the amount of crosslinking agent to achieve the above water absorption capacity.

The compounding ratio of the snow quality improving agent of the present invention is approximately 0.1 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of snow selected from natural snow, artificial snow made by an artificial snow-making device, and snow made by crushing ice blocks into fine powder.
~10.0 parts by weight is preferred.

In order to obtain snow of arbitrary density and strength, add 0.1 to 10.0 parts by weight of the snow conditioner (unabsorbed) to 100 parts by weight of snow, and add 200 parts by weight of the water-swollen material after water absorption. Absorb water 5 to 100 times as much as possible, and mix uniformly with the subsequent material.

The mixed artificial snow freezes due to the latent heat of the snow and the outside air, but at this time, water seeps out from inside the water-swollen material, freezes on the surface of the material, and forms an "ice bridge" with the surrounding snow. was confirmed by microscopic observation of thin sections. Therefore, to obtain snow of arbitrary density and strength, it is sufficient to adjust the "ice bridge" and the amount of water supplied from the water-swollen body. In other words, the amount of water supplied from the water-swollen body can be controlled by arbitrarily changing parameters such as the particle size of the snow quality improver, the ratio of water absorption capacity/water absorption capacity, and the amount of water-swollen body.
As a result, snow of arbitrary density and intensity can be obtained.

For example, if you want to obtain hard and heavy snow quality, the particle size should be small (
20-150 μ intestine), the ratio of water absorption capacity/water absorption capacity is large (30-80%), and the amount of water-swollen bodies is increased (30-20
0 parts by weight).

On the other hand, if you want to get soft and light snow, use a large particle size (150
〜500 μ intestine), low specific gravity of water absorption capacity/water absorption capacity (10 to 5
0%), and the amount of water-swollen material may be reduced (10 to 80 parts by weight). In addition, these water-swollen bodies have a water absorption capacity lower than the water absorption capacity of the snow quality improver, so they can absorb liquid water generated due to a rise in outside temperature and maintain the desired snow quality so that it does not change. can.

When using the snow quality improving agent of the present invention to suppress deterioration of snow quality, 0.1 to 10.0 parts by weight of the snow quality improving agent (unabsorbed) is mixed with 100 parts by weight of snow.

In general, snow immediately after being made with an artificial snowmaking device is approximately 60 to 9
It is a mixture of 0% ice particles and about 40-10% liquid water, and such wet snow is difficult for beginners and intermediate skiers to slide on. When a snow quality improver is mixed with such snow, it absorbs unfrozen water and improves the wet snow condition to a dry one, making the slope popular with beginners and intermediate skiers.

Also, in early winter and early spring, when the outside temperature rises and water (liquid phase) is generated by melting snow, mixing snow quality improvers in the same way will prevent the deterioration of snow quality.

The ratio of snow quality improver to 100 parts by weight of snow is 01 to 10
．． 0 parts by weight, but for particularly wet snow, increase the mixing ratio (1.0 to 10.0 parts by weight), and for slightly damp snow, add 0.1 to 1.0 parts by weight. preferable.

The snow quality improver of the present invention can be separated and recovered from snow by an appropriate method, dried, etc., and reused.

Since the snow quality improving agent of the present invention is itself photodegradable and biodegradable, there is no problem even if it is left alone after the ski season is over, but especially if early photodegradation or biodegradation is desired.
Known accelerators for photodegradation and biodegradation in the snow quality improving agent of the present invention,
Catalysts, additives, etc. may be blended, added, impregnated, coated, etc. Since the snow quality improver of the present invention itself is safe for the human body, these additives are also preferably selected with safety in mind.

The snow quality improving agent of the present invention may be colored by a known method using pigments, dyes, etc. When a colored snow conditioner is mixed with natural snow, artificial snow, or frozen snow, these snows can be beautifully colored and new commercial value can be added to the snow. For example, it can be used to distinguish ski slopes for advanced skiers, slopes for beginners, etc. by color, making skiing more enjoyable.

The characteristics of the snow quality improving agent of the present invention include fragrances, antioxidants, ultraviolet absorbers, fluorescent agents, nucleating agents, fillers, substances with low friction coefficients, and other additives. It may be added, blended, coated, impregnated, etc. to the extent that no damage is caused.

The method of mixing the snow quality improver with snow is to put the unabsorbed snow quality improver or the water-swelled material that has been absorbed to a predetermined water absorption capacity into a container equipped with a device to supply the material at the bottom. There is a method in which the materials are loaded onto a vehicle for ski slope maintenance and mixed in parallel with the ski slope maintenance while the materials are being dispersed from a supply device. This method can be used with natural snow, artificial snow, or frozen snow.

Another method is to attach a device that directly sprays a snow quality improver using compressed air to an artificial snow making device such as a gun type or fan type, and simultaneously make artificial snow and simultaneously spray and mix the snow quality improver. There is.

Still another method is to mix the pneumatically transported snow quality improving agent with water to absorb water, and then spray the water-swollen material into the atmosphere using compressed air. At this time, since the artificial snow making device is simultaneously making artificial snow, it can be mixed.

[Example] Next, the present invention will be specifically explained with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to these Examples.

In addition, the water absorption capacity, fluidity, density and strength of artificial snow after freezing in the following Examples and Comparative Examples are determined by the following operations.

(Water absorption capacity for ion-exchanged water) Disperse 0.5 g of dry polymer in 11 ion-exchanged water,
After being allowed to stand for 24 hours, the water-swelled weight (W) of the resulting polymer was measured by filtration through a 60-mesh wire mesh, and this value was divided by the initial dry polymer weight (W).

(Fluidity after water absorption) After 50 cc of ion-exchanged water was added to 1.0 g of dry polymer and the water was completely absorbed, the water-swollen body was observed without moving, and the fluidity was expressed as 0, ×, or Δ.

(Density of artificial snow after freezing) Remove snow whose volume is known, weigh it, and divide the weight by the volume. The unit is "g/cm".When the snow is soft,
By inserting a thin stainless steel box with a known volume into the snow, you can remove snow with a known volume. For hard snow, cut the snow into squares with a saw, measure the dimensions with a ruler, and calculate the volume.

(Strength of artificial snow after freezing) Using a Kinoshita hardness tester, drop a weight onto the artificial snow and measure the strength of the fall. The unit is kg/c. Replace the adapter so that the sinking of the 2° disc into the artificial snow is 7 to 3 Qmm, and calculate the strength from the conversion table.

Example 1 (Type of super-absorbent granules) A water-swollen product was made by making the super-absorbent granules absorb 50 times as much water as ice and snow (16 mesh) made by crushing ice at a weight ratio of 33:100. and frozen at -5°C.

After 16 hours had passed after mixing, the density and strength of the artificial snow were measured and shown in Table 1.

In general, the strength at which a skier can easily slide is about 1.0 kg/cm2 for beginners, and as he progresses he moves to harder snow, and for Olympic level skiers it is about 10 kg/cm2.
A certain amount of hard snow is required. However, snow that is harder than that is disliked by both amateur and professional skiers, and the chance of injury in the event of a fall is extremely high.

Example 2 (Particle size of super absorbent granules) Artificial snow was made in the same manner as in Example 1 except for changing the particle size of the super absorbent granules, and the density and strength were measured, and the results are shown in Table 2. Indicated.

Example 3 (Water absorption capacity of super absorbent granules) Artificial snow was made in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the water absorption capacity of the super absorbent granules was changed, and the density and strength were measured.Table 3
It was shown to.

Example 4 (Ratio of water-swollen material) Artificial snow was made in the same manner as in Example 1 except for changing the weight ratio of water-swollen material and ice and snow, and the density and strength were measured.
It was shown to.

Example 5 (Slope skiing test) (Teine Ski Resort) Width 31111
A ski slope with a length of 15 cm and a depth of 15 cm was set up, and a uniform mixture of 100 parts by weight of natural snow and 33 parts by weight of a water-swelling material made by absorbing 50 times more water than BL-151 was spread on the slope. After being left for 14 hours at an outside temperature of 12 degrees Celsius, the density and strength of the artificial snow and the glide performance of the skis were examined. The results are shown in Table-5.

Example 6 (Unabsorbed super absorbent granules) Unabsorbed super absorbent granules were mixed with ice and snow made by crushing ice (16 mesh pass) and stored at -1°C to observe changes in density and strength over time. was measured.

The results are shown in Table-6.

Example 7 (Colored super-absorbent granules) A water-swollen product was made by making a super-absorbent granule absorb 50 times as much water, impregnated with a pink dye, and colored by crushing ice. Ice and snow (16 mesh) and weight ratio 33:100
When the mixture was mixed at the following ratio and frozen at -5°C, beautiful light pink snow was formed. Its density and strength were the same as the snow of Example 1.

[Effects of the Invention] The present invention can: - By simply blending with various types of snow, such as natural snow or artificial snow, ■ Without compacting snow, ■ Snow of arbitrary density and strength can be obtained according to the skier's level and preference, and ■ The purpose of the present invention is to provide a snow quality improver that can maintain the condition of the ski slopes easily since the snow quality does not change over time; and (2) is inexpensive, easy to handle, and can be recovered and reused.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a snow quality improving agent that is photodegradable and/or biodegradable and causes no pollution problems after use, and a beautiful colored snow quality improving agent.

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) A snow quality improver consisting of highly water-absorbent granules having the following properties. [1] Even after absorbing water, they remain granular and non-adhesive to each other; [2] The water absorption capacity is about 30 to 500 times that of ion-exchanged water; [3] The particle size before water absorption is about 20 to 500 μm; [4] Particle size after water absorption is approximately 0.05 to 2 mm. (2) Claims in which the water has been absorbed 5 to 100 times in advance (
1) Snow quality improving agent described above. (3) The snow quality improving agent according to claim (1), which is not made to absorb water beforehand. (4) The snow quality improver according to claim (1), which has photodegradability and/or biodegradability. (5) The snow quality improver according to claim (1), which is colored. (6) Claim (1) wherein the super absorbent granules are a saponified product of polyacrylate, a copolymer of vinyl alcohol and acrylate, or a copolymer of isobutylene and maleic anhydride.
) snow quality improver. (7) The snow quality improving agent according to claim (1), wherein the superabsorbent granules are spherical.